Clean Green With These Earth-Friendly Cleaning Supplies

For those looking for a one-and-done cleanup kit, look no further. Blueland is an AAPI-founded brand dedicated to making eco-friendly products easy to find, use, and afford. This set comes with everything you need to start a sustainable cleaning kit, including three glass spray bottles with cleaning tablets (to make glass and mirror, bathroom, and multipurpose cleaning solutions), a glass hand-soap dispenser and soap tablet, dishwasher tablets and a storage container, powder dish soap and dispenser, and laundry-detergent tablets and a storage container. As you run out of product, simply buy refill tablets, which you place in your containers, mix with water, and use as normal.

Stop buying bottles and bottles of liquid laundry detergent and opt for a refillable option. This set from Cleancult comes with a glass laundry-detergent dispenser and four detergent refills (all in recyclable packaging), a zero-waste stain stick, and three wool dryer balls. The stain stick requires much less water than traditional stain removers, and it’ll last eons longer. Wool dryer balls can be used instead of dryer sheets to soften clothing, reduce static, and shorten drying times, as they help absorb moisture.

Small, plastic soap pump bottles are extremely wasteful. Often the pumps aren’t recyclable at all, and the plastic bottles sometimes end up in the landfill with them. Instead, opt for something like this one from ThreeMain, which comes in an infinitely refillable and recyclable aluminum bottle. When you run out of soap, simply order a refill pouch, which is made up of 80 percent less plastic than a regular bottle of soap.

For a laundry option that’s convenient and eco-friendly, consider buying detergents and soaps in bulk. Not only will you have to make fewer trips to the store, but you’ll end up using less packaging, too. All the ingredients in this detergent are plant-derived, and the scent blends lily of the valley and jasmine with sweet musk, sandalwood, and a touch of citrus.

Bamboo grows way faster than wood, and can be used for almost all of the same applications. Because bamboo grows so quickly, it’s a more sustainable alternative to hardwoods. These paper towels are just as strong as the regular ol’ paper ones, but take zero trees to make. 

To go entirely tree-free, opt for a reusable option like these cloths from Papaya. They’re made from cotton and cellulose, both of which are compostable at home. One cloth is equivalent to 17 rolls of paper towels. When they’re dirty, simply throw them in the washing machine and they’ll be as good as new.

Cut down on drying time and eliminate dryer sheets from your routine with these dryer balls. They’re made from wool, which naturally absorbs moisture in the dryer, making them a natural alternative to waxy, plastic dryer sheets. As they tumble around with your laundry, they’ll soften fabric and reduce static, too. They’re also infinitely reusable.

When you wash clothes and fabrics made of synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon, they release itty-bitty plastic particles (aka microplastics) into the water that end up going into our waterways, consumed by organisms — they’ve actually now made their way into the human bloodstream. Instead, when washing these materials, you can capture these microplastics in a bag, gather them after the wash, and safely dispose of them. Simply place your synthetic fabrics in the washing bag, launder your clothes as normal, and remove any particles left in the bag. Place them in a paper bag, seal it, and toss it in the trash. It isn’t a perfect solution, but it’ll help keep those particles out of our waterways for a little while longer.

So many of the products we use each and every day are made from petroleum-based products or plastic, including sponges. Swap plastic sponges for a natural, compostable option, like these ones made of coconut coir — a fiber extracted from the fruit’s husk — and cellulose. Coconut coir mimics the scrubby side of a plastic sponge, and cellulose acts as the softer side. When this sponge reaches the end of its life, simply toss it in the compost to decompose.

The odds are, the dish brushes you use (which normally last longer than sponges) are made of plastic. This wood, metal, and sisal fiber brush will last longer, and the brush heads are biodegradable and replaceable. When the brush gets too frayed, throw it in the compost, replace the head, and go on with your dishes. When the handle reaches the end of its life (in many years’ time), you can remove and recycle the metal, and compost the wood.

It’s easy to use pump after pump of dish soap when you have stubbornly stuck-on food or stains. The problem is, the bottle always empties more quickly than you’d planned. A dishwashing block is a solid soap block that works just as well as liquid soap, but tends to last months longer. Simply rub your damp sponge or dish brush on the block, scrub your dishes as usual, and enjoy months without having to buy more soap.

If you have the space for a dishwasher, know that we city dwellers envy you. Using that blessed machine ensures that you’re saving water, and for bonus points,  opt for an eco-friendly detergent pod that’s free of harsh chemicals and plastic. (Many of the membranes on traditional pods are made from, you guessed it, plastic of some sort.) These pods from Dropps have a mild lemon scent (and there is an unscented version, too) and are made of natural ingredients. Each is made from polyvinyl alcohol, which dissolves upon contact with water.